Prime Minister's Office
English rendering of PM’s address on Union Budget 2022-23
This budget has ushered in new confidence in development in the midst of 100 years of a terrible calamity. Along with strengthening the economy, this budget will create many new opportunities for the common man. This budget is full of new possibilities for infrastructure, investment, growth and jobs. A new sector has opened up and that is Green Jobs. This budget addresses the immediate needs and also ensures the bright future of the youth of the country.
For the last few hours I have observed the way this budget has been welcomed by everybody and the positive response that has come from common man, it has strengthened our enthusiasm manifold to serve the public.
With novelty in every sphere of life, be it technology, farmers’ drones, Vande Bharat trains, digital currency, digital units in the field of banking, roll out of 5G services, digital ecosystem for national health, our youth, middle-class, poor-Dalit-backward and all the sections will be benefited.
An important aspect of this budget is the welfare of the poor. Special attention has been paid so that every poor person should have a pucca house, tap water, toilet, gas connection, etc. Simultaneously, there is an equal emphasis on modern internet connectivity.
A new announcement has also been made to ensure that life becomes more accessible and there is no migration from the mountainous regions of the entire Himalayan belt in India. For the first time in the country, the 'Parvatmala scheme' is being started for areas such as Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu-Kashmir and the North-East. This scheme will create a modern system of transportation and connectivity on the mountains. It will also strengthen the border villages of our country, which need to be vibrant, and which is also necessary for the security of the country.
An important step has been taken for the welfare of the farmers along with the cleaning of Mother Ganga, the faith of the people of India. Natural farming will be encouraged along the banks of the Ganges in the states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. The campaign for cleaning of Mother Ganga will also go a long way in making the Mother Ganga free from chemical-waste.
The provisions of the budget ensure that agriculture is profitable and there are new opportunities. Be it a special fund to encourage new agriculture start-ups, or a new package for the food processing industry, budget allocation will go a long way in increasing the income of farmers. More than Rs 2.25 lakh crore is being transferred directly to the accounts of farmers through the MSP purchase.
Many decisions were taken to help protect MSMEs i.e., our small industries during the Corona period. Along with a record increase in credit guarantee, many other schemes have been announced in this budget. The decision to reserve 68 percent of the defence capital budget for the domestic industry will also benefit India's MSME sector a lot. It is a huge step towards self-reliance. Public investment to the tune of Rs 7.50 lakh crore will give a new impetus to the economy and create new opportunities for small and other sectors of industries.
I congratulate Finance Minister Nirmala ji and her entire team for this people-friendly and progressive budget.
Bharatiya Janata Party has invited me tomorrow to speak on the ‘Budget and Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ at 11 am. I will speak in detail on this issue tomorrow. This is all for today. Thank you very much!
DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.